Vail & Summit County

The most dangerous slopes are easterly facing slopes with strong winds drifting additional load over buried weak layers. On easterly and northerly aspects where weak layers exist, triggering an avalanche in the surface snow could initiate a deeper slide at the base of the snowpack, resulting in an unsurvivable avalanche. You could trigger an avalanche from below or a distance, so use extra caution as the snowpack adjusts to the new load. On southern aspects, look for and avoid rounded pillows of wind-drifted snow where you see cracking in the snow. 

You can find safer travel on low-angle slopes or slopes with less than eight inches of new or wind-drifted snow facing south.